The Boston Red Sox weren’t expected to sign a catcher this offseason but reached agreement Saturday on a two-year, $6.2 million contract with David Ross, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

Now that they’ve done it, the logic is apparent: The Red Sox can trade their most experienced (and most expensive) catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, possibly to obtain the first baseman they covet.

In fact, an official with another club said Saturday that the Red Sox are willing to consider offers for Saltalamacchia, who hit a career-high 25 home runs last season but batted only .222 in part because of a high strikeout rate. If Boston general manager Ben Cherington trades Saltalamacchia, the Red Sox will use a combination of Ross and 25-year-old Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate.

The signing of Ross was a savvy move at a time when free-agent catchers are in short supply, particularly relative to the number of clubs looking to upgrade at the position. In Saltalamacchia, the Red Sox now have a highly-marketable trade chip. The Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros are known to be in the catching marketplace. (Of course, it’s doubtful the Red Sox would send Saltalamacchia to a division rival like the Yankees or Rays.)

The Chicago Cubs, led by the executive (Theo Epstein) who brought Saltalamacchia to Boston, are looking for a long-term catcher. But it is not clear if they have interest in a veteran like Saltalamacchia, given how early they are in a lengthy rebuild.

The Red Sox have incentive to look for a first baseman via trade, because options via free agency are limited after Adam LaRoche. Or if they trade Saltalamacchia, the Red Sox could sign Mike Napoli — who is primarily a catcher — with the idea that he would play a lot of games at first base.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Assorted notes from the baseball general managers' meetings:

• I already can hear the New York Mets’ spin on right-hander R.A. Dickey now — the tried and true “Greedy Ballplayer” theory.

Dickey, the Mets will say, wanted too much in a contract extension, so the team traded him rather than get suckered into a bad deal.

Such a portrayal simply would not be accurate.

The Mets, sources say, have shown little actual interest in negotiating with Dickey, who is under contract for next season at $5 million.

Instead, they’re discussing him in trades at the GM meetings. If they get the right deal, they will just move on.

Trading Dickey, 38, probably is the right thing for the Mets to do, considering all of their holes. But the Mets intend to pin this on Dickey, they first need to make him a substantial offer.

That, sources say, has not happened.

• The Yankees are out of the Justin Upton sweepstakes, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Even if they wanted to be “in,” they would lack the necessary talent to entice the Diamondbacks in a trade.

Several rival executives view the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays as the teams most interested in Upton, but the Rays would need free-agent center fielder B.J. Upton to reject their qualifying offer before they make any move — they could not afford the salaries of both Uptons. B.J., though, is attracting strong interest, and almost certainly will reject the Rays’ offer by Friday’s deadline.

One executive suggests the Detroit Tigers as a possible darkhorse for Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks want a shortstop or a third baseman, and the Tigers could offer third-base prospect Nick Castellanos and a combination of other players, including right fielder Avisail Garcia and pitchers Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.

I am not suggesting that the Tigers would trade any or all of those players for Justin Upton; it’s just one exec’s speculation. But the Tigers at least have the players to make such a deal happen, and Dave Dombrowski is one of the game’s boldest, most aggressive GMs.

The Atlanta Braves, by the way, do not appear serious about a pursuit of Justin Upton.

• The Red Sox are disinclined to trade Jacoby Ellsbury for two reasons: His value is down, and the team is intent on contending next season under new manager John Farrell.

Ellsbury figures to be highly motivated in his free-agent year, and the Red Sox recognize that they probably cannot trade him and become a better team.

Jackie Bradley Jr., the Red Sox’s center fielder of the future, is ready for the majors defensively but not offensively. Some club officials believe that he might be best served by a full year in the minors.

Boston’s Ben Cherington is one of those GMs who will listen on any player, but the chances of the Sox moving Ellbury appear slim.

• Free-agent right-hander Brett Myers is telling teams that he wants to be a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third.

Myers, 32, started last season as a closer with the Houston Astros because of the team’s need, then remained a reliever after getting traded to the Chicago White Sox.

However, he pitched a combined 439-2/3 innings as a starter for the Astros in 2010 and ’11, and previously shifted from the bullpen to the rotation with the Phillies in 2008.

• Right-hander Jon Garland, who sat out all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2011, intends to make a comeback next season.

Garland, 33, threw for 10 to 15 teams in September but decided not to return at that time. He figures to sign with a club in late January.

Jeff Luhnow was named Astros general manager only six days ago. His first nine years in baseball were with the Cardinals. So, how is it that he pulled off a trade so quickly, and one that two rival executives called a win for the Astros?

Allow Luhnow to explain how he and new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington negotiated the deal that sent reliever Mark Melancon to Boston on Wednesday for infielder Jed Lowrie and right-hander Kyle Wieland.

“Several of the GMs have been very welcoming — they called me, talked to me, welcomed me to the club,” Luhnow said. “Ben was one of those guys. He reached out almost immediately. It was very nice to hear from him.

“We started talking. Originally, it was about some other players. But pretty quickly we figured out that he had a surplus of middle infielders — and that was a big need for us.”

Luhnow said the early talks involved the possibility of the Astros moving some of their high-salaried players — presumably, first baseman Carlos Lee, left-hander Wandy Rodriguez and right-hander Brett Myers.

“There wasn’t a lot of appetite for that (from Boston),” Luhnow said. “That withered on the vine. We talked three or four times starting Saturday. (Tuesday) morning, it intensified. It was a pretty straightforward situation.”

Luhnow said that he had a working knowledge of all three players; he had scouted each of them in college while with the Cardinals. The trade also marked Cherington’s first significant deal since he replaced Theo Epstein as Red Sox GM on Oct. 25.

“You never want to give up a 26-year-old closer under control,” Luhnow said. “But given where the Astros are right now, is that piece of the puzzle the most important vs. a solid, up-the-middle player with some pop and a young guy who may be a middle- or back-of-the rotation starter down the road?